| Abstract |
In April 2003, following difficult negotiations, a new collective agreement for the Dutch primary and secondary education sector was concluded by the Minister of Education and the trade unions representing civil servants and teaching staff. One of the main issues that the new agreement seeks to address is the shortage of teaching staff that has affected the sector in previous years. However, there has been no major general increase in wage levels, which lag behind both those for both teachers in other countries and other highly-qualified workers in the Netherlands.
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